Tutorial - Using Pro Tools Track Presets And Working With Playlists In Audio Post Production

Creating atmospheres is the art of designing the ambient environment that can make an integral part of any film or video. In this free video tutorial, Avid Application Specialist, Daniel Lovell uses track presets to save multiple layers of atmospheres and then uses the powerful playlist capabilities in Pro Tools to compile new, custom ambiences for his projects.

In post production we are often up against tough deadlines, anything that can help speed up the process is a very welcome addition to the process. Using, in this case, two Pro Tools features together, with a little preparation, we can make atmosphere creation and take management much more streamlined.

A time-consuming part of track laying for a film, documentary, or commercial can be to create atmospheres. With track presets you can save multiple layers of atmospheres, for example you could save a track preset for city environments looped with differing locations on each playlist.

If you are regularly working on a TV series or documentary you could name these for each location used so that once you have sonically built that scene you can have those grouped atmospheres ready to go immediately as the series goes on.

As new edits and episodes come in you can use the recently introduced playlist features to select the length of the scene or shot and then cycle through the different atmospheres you have prepared on the other playlists. Simply, use the new shortcuts for playlists and then apply a batch fade you already prepared in the fade presets.

You can cycle playlists inside edit selections using the following shortcuts.

Command + Shift + Up/Down Arrow (Mac)

Control + Shift + Up/Down Arrow (Win)

VO Recording

You can also use track presets with playlists for VO or narration recording. You could pre-name playlists to make take management more streamlined. For example, name alternate playlists Take 1-5 and favourite target playlist. Then as you are recording and reviewing you can keep audio organized and easily accessible for playback whenever you or a director need to listen to those available options.

Simply right click to copy or send an audio region to the designated playlist. Then, as the other production teams members want to review, it’s a simple case of just cycling through your playlists using the Shift + Up/Down Arrow shortcut which works on both Mac and Windows.